Assessing the impact of exotic Salicaceae plantations on amphibian diversity of the Paraná River Delta

Abstract

Forest production with exotic Salicaceae has expanded globally, gaining economic importance in South American wetlands. The Paraná River Delta (PRD), a vast wetland with high biodiversity rates, has lost more than 60,000 hectares of native forests and grasslands due to their conversion to Salicaceae plantations, without a thorough understanding of the consequences on natural communities. This study analyzes amphibian communities in terms of species diversity and composition alongside their links to environmental variables in deltaic forests (DF) and poplar (PP) and willow plantations (WP). Twelve species of anurans were recorded. In the terrestrial phase (adults and juveniles), richness did not differ significantly among forest types, while 1D and 2D diversity measures were higher in DF than in plantation forests. In the aquatic phase (larvae), all Hill diversity measures were higher in DF compared to WP, and no tadpoles were found in PP. In the plantation forests, generalist species became dominant, while the proportional contribution of some arboreal species and leptodactylid taxa decreased compared to DF. None of the environmental variables evaluated could explain the changes in amphibian species composition after converting land for exotic plantation forestry in the PRD. Our results emphasize the need to preserve the remnants of DF, which serve as refuges for certain anurans species, and the importance of ensuring that the different elements within the forest landscape remain connected. These insights will assist companies in developing environmentally sustainable forest management strategies that support amphibian conservation in wetland landscapes influenced by timber activity.